


Alive And Well

by AnonymouslyDead



Series: The Way Things End Now [3]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: After the Fall, Bandages, Dreams, M/M, Recovery, sedatives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-01 20:54:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20264371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymouslyDead/pseuds/AnonymouslyDead
Summary: Will wakes up after the fall.





	Alive And Well

Recovery was hell, Will decided.

At first, Will had been in and out, vaguely aware that he had not in fact died but that something wasn't quite right. He dreamed in snips, splashing down into freezing water and every nerve screaming out in a shock of pain. Sometimes, he'd drag himself to the rocky shores, dragging Hannibal along with him despite how much he weighed him down. It's either both of them or neither, Will decided. He'd made that choice when Hannibal indeed weighed them down, and the two would drown in the inky waters together in their embrace, accepting the dark void of sleep as a temporary death.

There were some dreams where Hannibal would be lost to the sea. The waves would be too rough and loosen Will's grip, causing Hannibal to be washed away. Those were the worst, filling Will with a deep mix of panic and lost. Helpless in a churning seas where the scale was too big and the loss was too great.

It's when Will finally came to in the most lucid he's felt in a while that Will realized he doesn't know which was real. 

That set Will in a panic. He took in his surroundings in a flood. Sterile white walls around him in a small, almost closet like room. No identifying features. Plain sheets, plain bed below him, plain plain plain

Too plain after everything they've been through, Will panicked. His breath picked up, his heart pounding. He tried to ease himself up, but his chest screamed in protest, sending a horrible wave of pain crashing into him. He fell back with a loud moan and tried to ride it out. 

But even after the wave calmed to a persistent throb, his mind was racing too fast for him to feel any peace. Where was he? Where was Hannibal? Did Hannibal survive, too?

What would he do if Hannibal didn't survive? If all he'd done was for nothing?

Will didn't know, and that terrified him. 

Will let out a loud, strangled scream- in frustration, in fear, for the fact that he had nothing else to do. There must be someone here. Someone to answer his questions. 

He isn't sure exactly when it happened. He must not have been as lucid as he thought, because the next thing he knew is that he was waking up to fingers in his hair. He started only to regret it. His hands find his chest, finding tight bandages wrapping around his chest. He must've broken ribs.

"Easy. Easy." A familiar voice- Hannibal's his mind screamed- rumbled in his ear. The hand in his hair retracted. Will panicked and grasped at it, his hand locking around the wrist and digging his fingernails into it as if it'd disappear. Wash away into the churning, inky waters...

"Please let go of my arm. You need to relax." But, Will refused until he felt another hand around his. Will let go of the arm to lock his fingers in between the warm hand. 

Hands that have ripped human flesh apart. Hands that are always curled around a knife, ready to strike his newest victim after he's lulled them into a situation of his design. 

Hands that also dance across piano keys, inspiring aged songs into a new harmony. Hands that scribbled across pages in a doctor's script as Hannibal plotted a new game for his sole amusement. Hands that caressed his face, held him close, and anchor him to reality...

Hannibal cupped their joined hands with his free hand, giving Will all the more of an anchor. Hannibal was alive. He was alive, and everything was good. Everything was fine.

"Tell me, Will. Do you feel any pain? Should I administer more painkillers?" Hannibal's voice sounded hoarse and struggling. An image popped into Will's head of blood and roses spat across the floor while Hannibal struggled to even breath. 

Will forced his eyes open, though they felt like they weighed a ton. It took a moment for them to focus. When he did though, he caught sight of Hannibal looming over him with a slight smile on his face. No blood on his lips but bandages wrapped around his pale, bare chest. 

"You're alive." Will stated as if it was something mythical.

"Of course, I am. You were never that good at taking lives outside of a scuffle." Hannibal frowned for a moment, running his thumb over the back of Will's hand as he thought. Will found the gesture soothing. A steady warmth trailing his skin. "We'll have to see what we can do about that." 

But at that, Will frowned. Hannibal shook his head. "If you wish to follow me, Will, there's no other option I'm afraid." 

Will scoffed albeit weakly. "That's a poor attempt to persuade me, doc." 

"I needn't. You've already made your choice." Hannibal patted his hand. "But, that is a discussion for another time. You must rest. Work on recovering your strength."

Hannibal tried to retract his hand, but Will tightened his grip, keeping Hannibal in place. "Stay, please." Will said. 

"Oh, Will. Chiyoh will have my head if she finds I left my bed." Hannibal said, but Will refused to budge. After a weak attempt, Hannibal sighed. "Alright, it's the least I can do after all the times you've saved me."

Will furrowed his brows in confusion.

"One for the escape from the FBI. You've given me a new freedom I haven't felt in years. One for never letting me go. My memory of it is scattered at best, but Chiyoh said that she found us dragging each other up shore. You really are a survivor even in the worst of situations, aren't you, Will?"

Will didn't answer, his eyes drooping. It took Will a second to register the syringe in Hannibal's hand, but he felt a great exhaustion now that he had. It felt like challenge just to keep his eyes open. 

It took Will another second to register his hand being moved. Lips, warm and wet, brushed against his knuckles. Will felt a shiver up his spine as he tried to decipher whether he was imagine things or not.

"And one for loving me. As much as I fancy the idea of dying by your hand, there's still so much I have to show you." Will let his hand fall lax in Hannibal's hand, it suddenly feeling heavy like lead. Hannibal placed his hand on the bed with a final pat. "Rest now. We'll have time for talking later."

With that, Will fell asleep yet again, and he did not dream.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comment what ya think and kudos if you liked it!


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